The Movement for Quality Government in Israel on Monday submitted to the Supreme Court an affidavit on behalf of former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yoram Cohen, as part of the petitions pending against the Israeli government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Attorney General, the Advisory Committee for Senior Appointments, and the head of the Shin Bet.
In the affidavit, Cohen claims that during his tenure as Shin Bet chief between 2011 and 2016, Prime Minister Netanyahu twice attempted to exploit the Shin Bet's authority for political and personal needs.
Cohen claims that the first incident occurred in 2013, when Netanyahu asked Cohen to assign the Shin Bet the responsibility of monitoring, using intelligence tools, all individuals privy to a sensitive operation in an enemy state. Cohen testified that he strongly opposed the request: "In response, I told the Prime Minister that even if the concern was justified, it would not be appropriate for the Shin Bet to use tools designed to thwart terrorism and espionage to monitor and deter hundreds of people from the Israeli intelligence community, including heads of parallel organizations, without any specific suspicion against anyone in this group."
Cohen added in his affidavit, "I further said that it would not be proper for me to agree and deploy such intrusive monitoring tools under these circumstances." The Attorney General at the time, Yehuda Weinstein, supported Cohen's position. In response to the refusal, according to the affidavit, Netanyahu said, "If so, I will ask you to transfer all of the Shin Bet's monitoring capabilities to the Director of Security of the Defense Establishment."
According to Cohen, in another incident in 2014, Netanyahu summoned him for a one-on-one conversation and asked him to act to "remove the security clearance" of Naftali Bennett, then a minister and cabinet member. Cohen testifies that Netanyahu told him directly, "He expects me to act as Shin Bet chief to 'remove the security clearance'" of Bennett. In response, Cohen states in his affidavit, "I immediately told the Prime Minister that 'I have no intention of doing this under any circumstances.'" He emphasizes in the affidavit that "the information the Prime Minister provided me in that meeting regarding then-Minister Bennett turned out to be baseless."
Attorney Dr. Eliad Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality Government, responded, "The serious affidavit of the former Shin Bet chief exposes to the public what we have been warning about for years—improper attempts by the Prime Minister to use the state's security and intelligence bodies as a political tool to advance personal interests. The attempt to illegally exploit the Shin Bet's authority against a political rival is a red line that must not be crossed in a democratic state. Cohen's testimony underscores the immense importance of independent and courageous gatekeepers within the government systems and highlights the severe danger of unchecked concentration of power in the hands of a Prime Minister. We call on the Supreme Court to treat these testimonies with the utmost seriousness in the context of the pending petitions."
